Accredited Teaching Degrees Offered at GustavusDepartment of Education
The Education Department at Gustavus offers a wide range of teaching degrees. All the programs are reviewed and re-approved by the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) every six years.
Elementary Education (K-6)
Middle School Level Endorsements (Grades 5-8) in the following areas:
- Communication Arts and Literature
- Math
- Social Studies
- General Science
Secondary Degrees for grades 9-12 in the following areas:
- Biology/Life Science (you can add 5-8 with this major if you do a Middle Level Endorsement)
- Chemistry
- Physics
Secondary Degrees for grades 5-12 in the following areas:
- Communication Arts and Literature
- Math
- Social Studies
Degrees for K-12 in the following areas:
- Physical Education/Health
- Vocal Music
- Instrumental Music
- Spanish
- Latin
- Visual Arts
Coaching Minor
Teacher Education students may also qualify for a coaching minor by completing the course requirements as outlined by the Department of Health and Exercise Science.
Minnesota Teacher Performance Assessment
Gustavus teacher candidates must complete a board approved performance assessment as part of their student teaching semester. Prior to Spring 2025, teacher candidates completed the edTPA: the Teacher Performance Assessment involves designing and teaching a sequence of 3-5 lessons. Tasks 1 and 3 (planning and assessment) must be completed and passed in order to be accepted for graduation and licensure. At Gustavus, you are assigned a TPA reader that helps you create a stellar portfolio through ethical coaching.
Passing Scores for the 2 tasks within your EdTPA:
- Task 1: Cutscore 13
- Task 3: Cutscore 12
Beginning in Spring 2025, the program received a variance to pilot an alternate teacher performance assessment, the Candidate Preservice Assessment of Student Teaching (CPAST Overview), developed by the Ohio State University.